The katabatic winds of Cape Denison and Port Martin

The Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1912–14, led by Douglas Mawson, encountered incredibly strong, persistent katabatic winds at Cape Denison and along the coastal stretches of Terre Adélie and George V land (Fig 1). The mean wind speed at Cape Denison was 19.3 ms −1 [43.2 mph] which far surpasse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Record
Main Author: Parish, Thomas R.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1981
Subjects:
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ecology
Geography, Planning and Development
Antarctic
Dumont d'Urville
Dumont-d'Urville
Terre Adélie
Terre-Adélie
George V Land
Denison
Cape Denison
Port Martin
Port-Martin
Antarc*
Polar Record
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400003934
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400003934
Description
Summary:The Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1912–14, led by Douglas Mawson, encountered incredibly strong, persistent katabatic winds at Cape Denison and along the coastal stretches of Terre Adélie and George V land (Fig 1). The mean wind speed at Cape Denison was 19.3 ms −1 [43.2 mph] which far surpassed all previous surface wind records. The French expedition of 1950–52 to Port Martin, some 60 km west of Cape Denison, provided confirmation of extraordinary windiness of the region. ordinary windiness of the region. According to Mather and Miller (1967), the winds at coastal Terre Adélie and George V Land are about 70 per cent greater than those recorded at stations similarly located at the foot of the steep ice escarpment. Table 1 lists the mean monthly resultant winds at Cape Denison and Port Martin, along with four other coastal stations known to be influenced by katabatic winds. Included in the table is the record of Dumont d'Urville, situated along the same coastal stretch as Cape Denison and Port Martin. Despite its location on an island 5 km from the base of the ice slopes, Dumont d'Urville frequently experiences strong katabatic winds comparable to most stations located at the base of the steep coastal ice slope. Its wind record reflects the strong katabatic component along Terre Adelie and George V Land.

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